For NBA players, making it to the league is always very important. A lot of players in the league make it a goal to reach the NBA, not just to achieve their dream, but in order to secure the finances and provide a good life for the family.
But sometimes, players end up turning down big contracts and regretting it. Players like Dennis Schroder, Nerlens Noel, Victor Oladipo, and Latrell Sprewell have experienced this during the course of their NBA careers.
Sprewell was a part of the 2003-04 Minnesota Timberwolves squad led by Kevin Garnett that went to the Western Conference Finals. He ended up being a key figure for the squad in one of their best seasons in franchise history.
For his performances in that period, Sprewell was offered a 3-year, $21 million contract by the Minnesota Timberwolves. But he didn’t think that offer was enough and rejected it. Sprewell would unfortunately not sign another NBA contract after the 2004-05 season, and his career abruptly came to an end.
But Sprewell was adamant that he needed more money. His reasoning for turning down the contract was he needed enough money to feed his family. And he didn’t feel that the $21 million contract was enough for that.
“I told you I needed to feed my family. They offered me three years at $21 million. That’s not going to cut it.”
The NBA is one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the entire world. And players in the league get paid a lot of money to ply their craft in the course of a season. Obviously, the better you are, the more money you are likely to make in the NBA.
But certain times, players end up betting on themselves, turning down guaranteed money because they think they can improve their performances and leverage those performances for more money. Sometimes that can work out really well. When it comes to Sprewell, however, that wasn’t the case.
More must-reads: